A Parisian Perspective
by avidreader232
Summary: The gang has a reunion when they all go on a short trip to Paris. Teetotaler Layla chooses to roam the streets of Paris finding a purpose as the night progresses while her friends party. But her nights change when she is joined by an unexpected person in her exploration of the Parisian boulevards. Layla/Warren pairing.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Layla, could you take a picture of us?"

Layla smiled as she took the camera from Samantha Woods and stood away so as to get the girls standing in front of the breath-taking monument with smiles plastered on their faces.

Just as she clicked, a familiar adorable face popped up from behind Samantha.

"Photobomb!" Will yelled as he ran away cackling to the annoyance of Samantha. Layla chuckled before clicking another picture and handing Samantha the camera.

"Ooh you got such a nice angle of the Eiffel tower too! Thanks Layla."

"Next stop, Louvre. So please everybody get on the bus." The heavily accented voice of their tour guide resonated from behind the group.

The large group trudged back into the bus turning to take final shots of the tower before taking their seats. Will slumped into the seat next to her.

"Hey Layla, you got any good songs on your phone. I'm so bored with my playlist."

Layla smiled and handed him her phone. It had been nearly a year since they broke up and thankfully things had gone back to just the way they'd been before their mistake of trying to turn them romantic.

He plugged his headphones in and leaned back into the chair with his eyes closed. Layla looked around the bus languidly. Most of them lay back on the seats with their eyes closed like Will. She met a sharp pair of chocolate eyes however and paused at them. She smiled warmly at Warren and waved causing him to roll his eyes at her with a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

She glanced at Will again. Poor guy, she thought chuckling softly. He couldn't even sit with his girlfriend because her friend refused to sit with anyone else. She turned to look at the two girls chatting softly to each other- Samantha Woods, commonly known as Invisibilady and Jennifer Frost aka Freeze Girl. They were both gorgeous. With their perfect figures, blue eyes and impeccable dressing, they turned heads wherever they went. Samantha was quite friendly and nice. Will and she had begun dating 2 months ago. Jennifer seemed nice as well, just terribly shy which was why she didn't let Samantha leave her side. Get a few drinks in her and she was something completely different apparently. Layla smiled at the suggestion. She couldn't imagine Jennifer drunk and laughing aloud. She herself was a teetotaler and did not accompany the gang on their nights of frivolities. She would always hear the stories the next morning and smile at the gang's antics.

This trip had been Will's idea. Two years into college and they all met less and less frequently. Finally, Will had announced that they should go on a trip to Paris for a few days. Just the gang. Some had jumped at the idea like Ethan and Zach while some had been near impossible to convince like Warren. But eventually they'd all relented. Samantha and Jennifer had been a surprise but the group had eventually warmed up to them. So there they were- Will, Warren, Ethan, Zach, Magenta, Jennifer, Samantha and Layla- somewhere in the heart of Paris.

Will let out a little snort as he turned on his side, his mouth slightly open, his shades askew. Layla giggled. She'd always marveled at his ability to fall asleep absolutely anywhere. Just then, the bus pulled up to their destination.

Layla shoved Will lightly causing him to bolt up. He looked such a picture, she burst out laughing. As the giggles continued to spill from her lips she suddenly made eye contact with Warren. Her laughter died on her lips as she saw the intense look in his eyes as he watched her. A look as if she'd disturbed the bus with her laugh and she suddenly felt embarrassed. He however broke eye contact first as he got up and with a frown on his face, filed out the bus with everyone else. Layla followed, sheepish and confused.


	2. Chapter 2

"And zis is ze very beautiful, Mona Lisa." The tour guide flourished his hand proudly as if that had been the hand to put the artwork on paper in the first place.

There were a few oohs and aahs from the group as they all stood admiring the piece.

"It's so overrated." She heard a mumble under her breath.

She turned to see Warren speaking in low tones to Jennifer who seemed to agree whole-heartedly from the way she was nodding.

Layla couldn't help herself. "There is no amount of praise that could suffice the Mona Lisa. It is famous for a reason. Not just any work of art gets the kind of recognition she does by not being good enough."

Warren whipped his head to look at her and she saw his eyes narrow infinitesimally. The tour guide nodded enthusiastically in agreement to Layla's argument.

"What's so great about it?" Jennifer challenged to Layla's surprise.

Her reply was quick however. "Well there's the fact that a painting started in 1503 has the speciality of seemingly making eye contact from any angle and showing difference and accentuation under infrared light. But one of the most beautiful things about it, to me, is that the left finger is not finished." She pointed to the painting causing everyone's eyes to shift there. "It's so insanely special and yet so so human."

The tour guide looked like he wanted to applaud, causing Layla to give him a warm smile. Jennifer shrugged and looked away but it was Warren whose reaction affected Layla the most. His gaze was unfaltering and seemed to scrutinize her. She held her own and stared right back into his dark eyes. Finally, a smirk crept on his face and he turned away to listen to something Jennifer was telling him. A strange warmth spread through Layla before she looked down and smiled to herself.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't wanna come?" Magenta's eyes were pleading and Layla almost felt bad. Magenta never never showed emotion like that.

"Magenta you know it's not my scene and if you wanna go have fun, please by all means do. It'll be great. Trust me."

"Yeah but if this club isn't all they've claimed it is, I'm gonna rush back home to you."

"I'm not sure I'm gonna be at the hotel." She shrugged sheepishly. "I was thinking of exploring Paris on my own a bit."

Magenta grinned. "Bump into some hot French dude."

Layla rolled her eyes. "Get outta here. You don't even have eyes for anyone except Zach."

"That loser?" She rolled her eyes but threw an affectionate glance at her boyfriend. One so quick and subtle that noone except Layla could've caught it and only because she'd known her for so long. Magenta was a closet romantic.

"Speaking of hot dudes, is it just me or is ice tryna play with fire?" Magenta indicated Jennifer who was listening rapt in attention to something Warren was telling Will.

Layla shook her head. "Magenta, come on. They barely know each other. She's probably just trying to make friends."

"She doesn't seem too friendly with any of us." Magenta rolled her eyes. "You better snap him up before another eligible bachelor in our group is baited."

Layla let out a loud burst of laughter. "Baited? Really Magenta? And one of them is dating you! Besides Warren and I are just friends. He doesn't even seem like the relationship kind."

"So if he did, you'd consider it?"

Layla rolled her eyes at her as Samantha came out, the last one to have gotten ready. "Enjoy the club Mag."

* * *

Layla sighed and lay her head back in the taxi thinking of her walk at the Île Saint Louis. It had been breath-taking. She'd simply plugged in her headphones and strolled through, admiring the beauty around her as soft music played. She'd stopped to have ice cream at Bertillon of course, because that was just part of the whole experience. Now, she was on her way to Le Grenier à Pain, one of the best bakeries in Paris. The taxi stopped in front of her destination and thanking the cab driver, she paid him and stepped out. She admired it from the outside for a while simply taking in the aroma that surrounded her senses. Just as she was about to step in, she heard a surprised voice.

"Layla?"

She turned around to come face to face with a surprised looking Warren Peace.

"Warren what are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "The club's not far from here. I got bored, so I was just walking around. But why are you here?"

"This is one of the best bakeries in Paris. I wanted to buy some stuff."

A smile appeared on his face. Not his typical smirk, but a genuine boyish one. One that warmed her heart. "Typical Layla. Buying bread when everyone would much rather be wine tasting in Paris."

"Hey! I happen to prefer being sober." She shoved him gently and he grinned revealing a perfect set of teeth.

She turned to look at the store and back at him. She didn't know why she felt so coy to offer but finally managed to do so, avoiding his eyes. "You wanna join me?"

He shrugged. "Might as well."

Trust Warren to be indifferent about the experience of a lifetime.

"Warren stop! That man's been staring at us for the past 15 minutes!" She hissed under her breath.

"All these baguettes seem the same to me. Why are you taking so long to choose?" He growled back as he put back the 2 different breads he'd been inspecting.

"They're not the same. See this one's texture-"

She was interrupted when he made a snoring sound. She shoved him.

"I'll take this one please." She indicated to a worker before turning to glare at Warren.

"I'm not sure if this kind was the best and you didn't even let me look at all of them." She chastised him for the umpteenth time.

He rolled his eyes. "I told you, it looks fine. Oh wait." He paused as something caught his eye.

Before she could ask him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he strode ahead.

Once the general shock wore off, Layla suddenly became very aware of her hand in his. It was enveloped by his which was extremely warm and, strangely enough, cosy. Cosy in a way she wasn't sure she wanted him to let go. She blushed as the thought crossed her mind. Jeez, what was she thinking? This was Warren. Magenta's teasing was getting to her, that's all.

He pulled her into what seemed like a quiet, small but well-lit park where a few couples and families either strolled through or sat and chatted on the grass in. He pulled her on the grass with one quick tug as he sat down himself.

"Warren wha-"

He dropped her hand and pointed at the bag in her hand. "I'm hungry."

She laughed incredulously. "Really?"

He shrugged and tried to grab her bag but she pulled it away. "Not like this!"

"Why not?" He asked.

She thought for a moment. "I know! There was a grocery store nearby, wasn't there?"

"Yeah I think so." He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. Secretly she thought it looked quite attractive.

"Let's go and get something to have with this."

"You know what you want?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"You know," Warren seemed lost in thought, "This shouldn't work, but it does."

Layla beamed at him as they continued to dip pieces of baguette into olive oil and oregano before eating them.

"So you plan to do these things every night when they go out clubbing?"

His question surprised her. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you cared Warren Peace." She teased him.

He rolled his eyes. "Well it's a good thing you do."

She threw her head back and laughed. When she looked back at him, his eyes were set on her in that intense look that she was beginning to get familiar with.

"Why do you do that?" She asked softly.

He looked away and took another bite of the baguette nonchalantly. "Do what?"

"You look at me like I'm some sort of freak or something."

"Well you are."

"It's not funny." She sulked.

"You're silly. Now answer my question. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

She looked away, trying to give him the silent treatment. It clearly wasn't working because she heard a chuckle from next to her.

"I'm just gonna roam around and buy a few different kind of cheeses cause all my friends deserted me." She mumbled, still annoyed at him. And to be honest, it made her feel good to say it. She always pretended like her friends making plans without her didn't hurt but if she was being honest with herself, it did. Very much.

"Come with me to the Bugatti showroom."

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with astonishment, all efforts of ignoring him forgotten. "You- you don't have to do that. You planned to go to the club with ever-"

He held up a hand. "Knowing you, you'd probably get lost in the city Red. I'm just doing us all a favour by keeping watch."

She shoved him and then to his shock, wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks, you idiot."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ensure the baby-making is in his room and not ours."

Layla threw her pillow at Magenta. "Mag!"

"What? I can almost see it. Little rodents with green eyes and black curly hair. Oh God. Keep them out of my way. Can't stand em."

"Mag it's not like that! It's Warren. He has NO romantic interest in me whatsoever! He probably just didn't want to go alone or something and I was the only loser who had no other plans."

Magenta gave her a pointed look indicating she didn't believe her. Layla threw another pillow at her and buried her face in the mattress.

* * *

The next day proved to be an interesting one. After breakfast at the hotel, they took the Bateau Bus to the Bateau Mouche which was a boat ride along the Seine. It was one of the more beautiful experiences. But for some reason, all through she couldn't help notice that perhaps Magenta had been right about Jennifer.

The undivided attention she gave Warren and the way she clung to his every word was a bit of a giveaway. She laughed a lot when she was with him and was constantly twirling her hair. Yup, Layla thought, she was smitten.

And why wouldn't she be? He was gorgeous. Layla dragged her eyes over the man in question wearing a white t shirt with grey sleeves and jeans. The shirt did nothing to hide the definition of his biceps and when he stretched his arms above his head in exhaustion, his shirt lifted just slightly to reveal a glimpse of his lean torso. From the way Jennifer's eyes widened, Layla realized she hadn't been the only one to notice that.

Warren really had grown well. Aside from slightly gaining muscular definition, he'd cut his hair too. The bad boy look he'd had in high school was long gone. He didn't wear only blacks like he'd done then nor did he have any streaks in his hair anymore. However, Warren didn't need any of that to look badass. The way he carried himself was enough to instill fear in some and admiration in others.

She was brought of her reverie when Warren looked up to make eye contact with her and raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed. She must've looked like such a creep just staring at him.

To her horror, he stood up and strolled towards her. She felt a deep blush travel up her neck as he came and sat down next to her.

"What do you want Red?"

As if it was possible, she blushed harder. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

He threw her a pointed look. "Really? You need to ask?"

She curled a strand of her hair nervously around her finger. "Most people prefer Ginger or something."

The reply was instant. "I'm not most people. Now tell me why you were boring holes into my head with your stares?"

"No I wasn't!"

"Ok. If you say so." He rolled his eyes causing her to shove him playfully.

"If you must know, I wasn't looking at you per se. I was looking at the way Jennifer looks at you." She lowered her voice. "I think she likes you."

He glanced at the brunette who currently seemed to be staring daggers at Layla. He shrugged. "Ok."

Layla's eyes widened. "What do you mean ok?"

"I mean ok, I acknowledge that she likes me. What do you want me to do?"

She shook her head as a smile crept on her face. "Weirdo."

She froze when he suddenly reached out and stroked her lower lip with his thumb. Her breathing hitched as he traced the shape of her lips and her eyes widened as she looked at him just to see his eyes trained on her lips. Then, as quickly as it had happened, he moved his hand away. "I hate it when your hair keeps getting stuck to your lips like that. Doesn't it annoy you when you're speaking?" His voice was calm and nonchalant unlike Layla who just managed a breathy 'yes'.

* * *

That night Layla almost felt, excited. She wasn't much of a car buff. Sure she admired the more sleek models but she couldn't tell one thing from another if you popped the hood. So the anticipation she felt, she was sure, could only be for another reason. And she wasn't sure when he had become reason enough. She shook her head. She was just happy she had company on the nights her friends went out, that's all. Warren was a friend. A very handsome one. But a friend nonetheless.

He'd texted her to wear something slightly formal if she'd brought anything and she'd just settled for a nude organza dress she'd brought for if the gang managed to get reservations in the restaurant at the top of Eiffel tower.

She slipped on her favourite pair of nude pumps and fixed her hair in the mirror, trying out different hairdos. She finally settled for a simple updo with a braid across the side of her head leading into a bun. She thought it looked nice and Magenta agreed.

"It's almost as if you wanna impress someone." She teased.

"Mag! For the hundredth time, we're just friends!"

"Ha! Sure."

Luckily, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Layla strode over and opened the door and froze. Warren Peace stood outside her door dressed in a tux, complete with a bow tie and goodness did he look amazing.

"You ready?" Was all he asked.

She finally found her voice. "Warren! Are we just going to ignore the fact that you're in a tux and I feel like a hobo right now?"

"It's not even my dad's this time." A soft smile found its way on his face and she felt her insides clench. The fact that he remembered their conversation that night despite the shenanigans that followed, warmed her heart.

"You look really nice." She took a step forward and raised her arms to tentatively fix his bow tie. His eyes remained fixed on her while hers remained trained on the tie as she felt the blush working its way into her cheeks. When she finally did look up to see him though, the mood suddenly shifted. His eyes darkened and he took a step away.

"I'll be waiting in the car." Was all he said before he turned on his heel and strode away.

* * *

"Ok what's up? You're never this quiet."

She frowned and looked out the window. She'd meant to ignore him for longer but his eyes boring into the back of her head disconcerted her. "You didn't even say anything about how I looked. I put in a lot of effort to get ready cause you said it was a formal event. Plus yesterday you said we were going to the showroom. Why do we have to dress up for a showroom?"

She huffed and continued to look out the window. She suddenly heard a low unfamiliar sound. When she turned to look, to her astonishment, Warren was chuckling. The nerve of that-

She hit him on the arm and then crossed her arms in front of her chest sulkily. To her annoyance, it turned into a full blown laugh.

Finally he quieted down and turned to her. "You look... nice."

"That's it? Nice?" She pouted. She felt her breath hitch slightly when his eyes fell on her lips and seemed to darken infinitesmally. He turned away and shrugged though.

"And to answer your other question, we're going to a dinner at the CEO's mansion. We're going to be among the first ones to see the latest models to be revealed. There are gonna be extremely important people there which is why the tux."

She gasped. "Oh God! I do look like a hobo!"

He growled causing her to jump slightly. "You look gorgeous Layla! You always do!" His words were rushed and angry but they sent a jolt of pleasure down Layla's body.

Seeing his fowl mood though, she tried to change the topic. "How did you get an invitation if this thing's so exclusive though?"

He still seemed sulky but answered anyway. "I helped Mr. Dürheimer's son when he was in a bit of a spot once. He's been extremely grateful since."

He took a sharp turn and pulled into an enormous driveway leading to one of the most beautiful mansions Layla had ever seen.

"We're here." Warren muttered as he got out, handed his keys to a valet and then walked around and opened the car door for Layla. She stepped out and to her surprise, he slipped his hand into hers and pulled her along.

The sight they were greeted with once inside left her speechless. It was like something out of The Great Gatsby. Everything was so gorgeous and everyone so classy. She felt extremely shy and unconsciously scooted closer to Warren who unlike her, seemed to be unaffected by his surroundings.

A middle-aged man walked up to them and clasped Warren's hand in a warm handshake. "Warren Peace. How are you? I'm glad you came boy."

"Thank you for having me Mr. Dürheimer."

"And who is this lovely lady?" Mr. Dürheimer turned to beam at Layla. She timidly smiled.

"This is Layla. She's a good friend of mine."

Layla looked up at him in surprise. Warren and she were friends but she would never go as far to say 'good friends'. For Warren, even that title meant something quite special.

"Pleasure to meet you Ms. Layla." Mr. Dürheimer beamed at her before turning back to Warren. "The unveiling will be at 9 so make sure you stay till then. Right now, why don't you dance with the lovely lady?"

Layla was just about to open her mouth to protest when Warren grabbed her hand and steered her to the floor where dozens of other couples moved gracefully to the music.

Layla's heart beat in her throat when he put one arm to her waist and took her hand in his other. Tentatively she raised her free hand onto his shoulder.

"Warren," she whispered, "I really don't know how to dance."

"Neither do I." Was the confident reply. "Mr. Dürheimer would've teased me about it if I didn't."

A nervous giggle escaped her lips as they gently began to sway to the music.

And Layla realized then, as the music reached a crescendo and Warren twirled and dipped her, that she was beginning to feel things that she really should not be feeling for Warren. Especially not at a ball.


	4. Chapter 4

Layla buried her face in her pillow as she tried to hide the goofy smile on her face.

Warren had been such a gentleman. The whole night had just been so... she sighed.

Just as he'd walked her to her room, he'd told her he'd take her to the catacombs the next day. She could barely believe it. She blushed as she realized she wouldn't mind spending the rest of the trip touring places with him. Things felt so natural and relaxed with him.

She went to sleep that night with a large smile on her face.

* * *

The next morning found the group of friends at Disneyland. It was absolutely magical especially for the secret romantic in Layla. She beamed at the princesses greeting excited little children and vowed to herself that her kids would grow up on an unhealthy diet of Disney movies just as she had. Suddenly an image popped into her head of the picture Magenta had sketched of toddlers with black curly hair and green eyes and felt a blush creep on her cheeks.

"You ok Layla?"

She gasped and turned to see Will watching her curiously. "Perfectly fine." She squeaked although he looked like he didn't believe her.

Her eyes suddenly fell on Jennifer placing her hand on Warren's arm as she laughed at something he'd said. It was a comfortable posture and he didn't seem to mind. For some reason, Layla felt an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. She forced herself to look away and chastised herself. How had she let this sudden crush on Warren develop so fast and so strong? A voice in her head offered that the crush was not as sudden as she let herself believe. It had been there. Below the surface, simmering. Perhaps developing since their candid conversations all those nights at the Paper Lantern. She tried to reassure herself that he would be touring the catacombs and then eating dinner with her that night. The thought cheered her up and she forced herself to act mature about Jennifer's growing closeness to Warren.

Her discomfort however grew more when she saw Jennifer sidle up to Warren when they were watching a movie there. She remembered the time Warren had burnt her hand when she'd called him 'cutie'. It was so wrong and un-Layla-like but she felt herself wishing he'd do the same to her. He didn't.

The final straw was when she heard Samantha nudge Will and gesture towards them. Will nodded and it was clear what their thoughts were. Warren and Jennifer looked so good together. Magenta was the first to notice Layla's shift in mood. She was also quick to guess the reason.

"You're whipped."

"Ha. Ha."

"It's worse than I thought."

Layla simply rolled her eyes to which Magenta burst into a loud laugh.

It was evening by the time the group filed out and drove back to the hotel and Layla firmly ignored Warren. It didn't seem to bother him too much though as he was engaged in conversation with Jennifer nearly the whole time. However what really made Layla stop was when she heard Jennifer suddenly ask loudly, "Warren we're going to this club called Ecstatic tonight. It's supposed to be super hot. You should join us!"

Without skipping a beat, she heard Warren say, "When are you guys leaving?"

Layla's heart sank and she turned to look out the window, turning up her music. She drowned out the rest of the conversation. As soon as the bus pulled up outside the hotel, she was the first to scramble out.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay back? We can listen to heavy metal, eat ice cream and diss the opposite sex."

Layla laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, you should go Mag. We just have 2 more nights left here. Zach's been looking forward to this trip for the longest time just cause he'd get time with you. Go on. Get outta here."

Magenta still looked unsure but Layla forced herself to give her a reassuring smile.

As soon as she left, Layla picked up her backpack and walked outside to hail a cab. Although she had the driver drop her at the catacombs, she found on arrival that she didn't want to go in. So she decided to walk to Paul, which was her favourite boulangérie. It was a long walk but she had nothing better to do it. Just as she hoisted her backpack higher she felt tiny droplets on her nose. She sighed. This day just kept getting better.

She strolled slowly, nay at a snail's pace. The more she thought about it, the more it saddened her. Warren hadn't bothered to keep his promise to her. He hadn't thought twice before agreeing to Jennifer's proposal. She sighed. How had she let herself be this stupid? She frowned as she looked up at the sky. It was pouring now.

"Are you _trying_ to get hyperthermia?"

She gasped at the familiar deep voice. She spun around to see Warren Peace standing behind her, his wet hair sticking to his head and leather jacket wrapped firmly around him, looking handsome as ever.

"I thought you were going to the club with Jennifer." Were the first words that slipped out of her mouth.

Then corners of his mouth turned upward in a smirk. "Why would you think that?"

"You told Jennifer in the bus. And I mean you seemed interested in going with Jennifer."

To her surprise, a husky chuckle escaped his lips. "I think that's the third time you said Jennifer since I arrived."

"Yea well. You were obviously more interested in going with her than being with me."

Her voice faltered at the end as she saw him striding up to her, his eyes determined. Before she had time to act, he grabbed the sides of her face and crushed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt his soft lips plying hers open with perfection. She felt herself suddenly feeling warm all over and closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. If she'd had any doubts about her feelings for him, they seemed to melt away the way her body seemed to melt against his. She whimpered as the kiss turned more passionate and she felt him groan against her lips. He pulled away slowly and looked at her, his eyes dark with lust.

"I don't think I've ever chosen anyone over you Layla. I've had feelings for you for a very very long time now. And don't you ever make me say something as cheesy as that again."

She started laughing as she placed a soft peck on his lips. "I really like you too Warren. But wait, what about Jennifer?"

He grinned. "You were acting jealous the whole time we were there so I thought it'd be fun to pretend I was enjoying Jennifer's attention. I never said I'd go though."

"I wasn't jealous." She felt her cheeks turn red.

"Keep telling yourself that." He grinned and because he couldn't help himself, captured her lips in one more searing kiss.


End file.
